Making Two-Factor Authentication Easier with LastPass Authenticator
Convenience is the enemy of security and the new LastPass Authenticator mobile app that’s meant to make Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) security easier.
LastPass is one of the most popular password managers on the market. This week, it introduced a new mobile app called LastPass Authenticator that’s meant to make Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) security much easier.
LastPass 2FA Authenticator
If you’re a regular reader, you know how much we preach the importance of enabling 2FA on every online service that offers it. You can learn more about this essential extra layer of security in our Two-Factor Authentication Guide: Secure Your Online Life.
Not everyone has set up 2FA on their online accounts yet, though, with the main reason being it makes logging into your accounts too difficult. Remember that convenience is the enemy of security, and this app from LastPass should make using 2FA much easier.
We have covered other mobile 2FA authentication apps, including Google Authenticator and the Microsoft Authenticator app. These apps generate a security code that you can use when you have 2FA set up for asks for it.
It makes sense for LastPass to have its own 2FA authenticator app, and it hopes to make 2FA much easier for the masses. Of course, it will work with LastPass and is tied to your account. To use it, you’ll need to create a free LastPass account so you can turn on the 2FA and scan the barcode to set up the app.
Here’s how to use it according to the app’s description:
1. Download LastPass Authenticator to your mobile device.
2. log in to LastPass and launch your “Account Settings” from your vault.
3. In “Multifactor Options,” edit LastPass Authenticator and view the barcode.
4. Scan the barcode with the LastPass Authenticator app.
5. Set your preferences and save your changes.
Check out the following video below to get a quick look at what you can expect when using it.
It’s free and currently available for iOS and Android. Availability for Windows Phone is coming very soon.
5 Comments
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Sonjia
March 17, 2016 at 6:22 am
The problem is they want to text your phone or call your mobile phone. Not everyone has a phone like that. I only have a flip phone and don’t have the capabilities the other phones. I refuse to buy a phone like that, because I don’t need one. Microsoft will use your land line though. I was changing my mail password and I had a choice to use my land line and Microsoft did call me. I tried that with another 2FA and gave my land line # and was notified that it was a land line and not a cell #. I can’t afford to buy an expensive phone just for 2FA….
Tom
March 17, 2016 at 7:33 am
If you do not use the LastPass password vault, can you still use this app?
Brian Burgess
March 17, 2016 at 7:43 am
Yes.
Kathy Davis
March 17, 2016 at 5:12 pm
What happens when your cell phone dies and you have no way to get the authentication code?
TL
March 17, 2016 at 6:14 pm
I have been using the Google Authenticator app for years now; in fact, it’s the app I use for 2FA for Lastpass. I want to know what would be the benefits of replacing GA with Lastpass’s authenticator and nothing I’ve come across so far helps me understand why I would choose one over the other. Is the LP authenticator somehow more secure? Does it interact with my Lastpass app in a way that would matter to me?